Who gets credit for this headline in the Welland Tribune? Would the story have run had the dead deer been found in another lot? Who tipped off the paper? Reporter Allan Benner tells Romenesko readers:

I suggested “Dead deer at dead Deere plant”; the word “discovered” was added by layout to fit the space for the print version. My preference was “found” but it wasn’t long enough.

We noticed the picture posted on Facebook, and went out to investigate. The deer has been laying there rotting for at least a week. That alone would probably be enough to warrant a story if it was in a public location such as a schoolyard or park. But the deer/Deere connection certainly added to the story.

The headline only made sense after my interview with the suspect’s mom, minutes after she visited her son in jail. After the underwear bandit’s arrest, I had a phone interview with the suspect’s latest victim, who explained how investigators caught the suspect by connecting the polka dots.